Branding ROI.

What's the ROI of branding? How do you measure the value of your brand efforts, and why do it?

These are tricky questions, but it makes sense to ask instead of spending lots of money without knowing where it's going.

The short answer is the Return on Investment is preference and options.

Options.

Branding yourself and strategically placing yourself on the right channels makes you findable by the people you're looking to serve. If you're selling coffee but can't be found via a Google search - you're limiting who you serve to those who stumble past your cafe.

Preference.

Beyond presenting yourself as an option to people, branding yourself makes you a preference. Imagine you were the only cafe in your neighbourhood. You wouldn't need to brand yourself. You probably wouldn't need to do any marketing because - being the sole supplier of coffee - you have a monopoly because you would be the only option people can choose.

You probably don't have a monopoly, and you're competing with many different people who offer various services and products very similar to yours.

Branding, done well, can make you the preference of people when they have to choose—going back to the example - when they have to decide where to get a latte.

If people know who you are, understand the value you bring, and like how you do things - all of which are part of the brand-building process - then you're far more likely to be the customer's option.

Now, it's important to say that this - sales - is not guaranteed. No marketer, brand specialist, or performance marketing team can guarantee sales. That sounds like a cop-out, but it's the truth - making that kind of promise is impossible - and it's most likely one of the first things you'll hear when talking to an agency.

Engaging the right agency or creative professional, however, will help you deliver positive returns on your invested time and resources, increasing your chances of success.